Personal Review :
I visited The Brass Elephant one time for a company managers `take the
Secretaries to Lunch' luncheon several years ago. The restaurant is housed
in a very nicely converted Baltimore Charles Street home. We sat in what
used to be the living room near the fireplace. With such a large group for
our luncheon, the seating was a bit cramped, but the atmosphere and food made
up for it. This seems to be a very popular place. To be honest, I can't
recall now what I ordered. But I do recall the lunch, while a little on the
pricey side, was a pleasant and tasteful one. Certainly worth a return
some day.
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Baltimore Magazine, February 2001 -- "Our Seventy Favorite Restaurants", edited
by
Cynthia Glover; written by Dave Butcher, Linda DeLibero, and Cynthia Glover
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}
Brass Elephant still holds its own as one of the city's most elegant dining establishments. The 19th-century grandeur of the setting, with its gleaming brass and intricately carved wood, and the contemporary Mediterranean menu offer comfort and charm. Seafood is a good bet here, as in a delicate pan-seared rockfish with saffron potatoes and sautéed leeks, and we love the silky house-made paté. The cooking may not quite be the tour de force it has been under past kitchen staffs, but the experience is all-around grand, and the $30 prix-fixe, four-course menu in the downstairs dining rooms now rivals the tapas menu upstairs in the Tusk Lounge for value.
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Baltimore Magazine, February 1999 -- "75 Best Restaurants" - edited by
Cynthia Glover and David Dudley
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}
The Brass Elephant looks particularly grand these days, its woodwork gleaming, its fireplace surrounds polished to a high shine. The tuxedoed service matches attentive yet unintrusive. And the food, prepared by chef/co-owner Randy Stahl and newcomer chef David Rudie, is better than ever. Blow your caloric budget on foie gras and you wont be disappointed; it rrives perfectly seared and cleverly sided with strips of fried parsnip. Escargot is wrapped in phyllo and topped with garlicky mayonnaise. The mixed grill unites beast and fowl (duck, quail, lamb) with a wonderful potato tart, but when you taste the perfectly sautéed scallops over capellini with smoked salmon and wild mushrooms you'll likely hear violins playing sweetly in the background.
Why go: To pretend that this is yor fabulous Charles Street
home and that, by your beneficence, the public may enjoy it.
While you're there: Indulge in a Chesapeake Oyster, a fanciful
chocolate bivalve filled with chocolate mousse.
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Baltimore Magazine, January 1998 -- "The 75 Best Restaurants", edited by
Cynthia Glover and David Dudley
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}
Expensive.
There's something about the Brass Elephant. Maybe it's the tuxedoed
wait-staff, the gilt trim, the Debussy filtering through the hum of subdued
conversation. Or maybe it's the menu--changing each day--of nouveau Northern
Italian and vintage Continental fare. Who could forget a grilled pork chop
stuffed with pancetta and smoked gouda in a pool of tomato demi-glace? Or the
flair of a grilled New York strip with Vidalia onion, prosciutto, and
red-and-yellow-pepper bruschetta? And why deny yourself desserts like the
decadent "tunnel of chocolate," a veritable mousse-lover's dream? Indulge.
You'll find nothing wanting.
Do: Order from the award-winning wine list.
Don't: Rush. You'll need three hours for four courses.
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The Brass Elephant Lounge
Baltimore Magazine, April 1998 -- "Cheap Eats" by Cynthia Glover
{Reprinted with permission of Baltimore Magazine}
Finding your way up the carved wooden stairs and into The Brass Elephant's grand but tiny lounge is like happening upon a wonderful secret. The tables are few and peopled with elegantly dressed couples, all shielded from bustling Charles Street by stained-glass windows. It's the kind of cozy, insular space you'd like to keep to yourself. But the real secret isn't the room--it's the food. Like sophisticated farfalle tossed with tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, black olives, and pine nuts. Chevre, with its unmistakable tartness, is this dish's crowning glory. The fresh fish of the day, too, is oh so good; on this night, it's catfish, lightly fried and served over a lemony marinara.
LEAST EXPENSIVE ENTREE: Cheese toretllini Brass Elephant, $7.00.
MOST EXPENSIVE ENTREE: Grilled N.Y. strip with red wine sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and vegetable medley, $12.50.
VALUE ADDED: Elegant Brass Elephant flavors like the ones you get in the dinning rooms downstairs, but at prices you won't believe.